NATHAN  J.D. VELDHUIS

SENIOR LITIGATION ATTORNEY

Nathan began his legal career while in law school interning for the late Honorable B. Waugh Crigler, United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Virginia. Nathan has spent his entire career representing people and/or family members and friends of individuals who have been injured or killed through no fault of their own. Nathan has worked on cases from “fender benders” to major catastrophic events caused by the negligence of other people, corporations, or the state and/or federal government. His compassion for his clients gives Nathan a better understanding of those who have experienced, or are experiencing, difficulties due to their injuries. This compassion and understanding, mixed with Nathan’s integrity and passion for fairness, is evident when counseling clients, working tirelessly to ensure the best outcome.

As a result of Nathan’s unique expertise in aggressively prosecuting personal injury cases and the extreme procedural complexities of the federal court system, cases involving massive corporations, or state or federal governments are often referred to him by other attorneys and he has been able to recover significant compensation for those clients.

Whether a person’s injuries or death were caused by state or federal governmental entities such as state hospitals, mental health facilities, or law enforcement; large nursing homes or long-term care facilities; corporations; or other individuals, Nathan is committed to pursuing remedies for the life-changing wrongdoings that have resulted in injuries and/or death.

 EXPERIENCE

In addition to his personal injury case load, Nathan also champions the rights of those whose are victims of civil rights violations protected under the United States and the Virginia Constitutions, in addition to cases involving defamation of character, slander or libel actions.

Nathan’s compassion for victims extends to cases involving rape and sexual assault occurring in places such as massage parlors, doctors’ offices, childcare facilities and/or hotels. He aggressively pursues these cases while ensuring the utmost sensitivity and discretion when in handling these cases, sensitive to his client’s experience to these horrifying and deeply personal events. His care and professionalism allow for a level of trust needed to prosecute these cases.

Nathan has served on a number of Boards including the Board of Directors of SARA (Sexual Assault Resource Agency), Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia (BIAV), Board of Governors of Virginia Bar State Litigation Section (ultimately serving as Chair), and Board of Governors of the Virginia Trial Lawyers’ Association among others. He also spent 13 years as an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at the University of Virginia’s School of Law with its the Mental Health Law Clinic. Nathan served for six years as a Member of the Virginia State Bar’s Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, by appointment of the President of the Virginia State Bar, developing Legal Ethics Opinions and considering modifications to the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct both of which govern all attorneys in Virginia. Nathan is also a member of the Boyd-Graves Conference (invitation only) which studies the law in Virginia and makes recommendations involving changes to the Rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia and to the Code of Virginia.

Nathan currently serves, by appointment of the President, on the Virginia State Bar’s Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION AND PARTICIPATION

Nathan has participated in numerous professional organizations and events, and has been professionally recognized. To see a list of his recognition and professional participation, click here. 

• AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubble (4.9/5.0) (2014-present)
• Rated Super Lawyers (2016-present)
• Rated Among the Best 18 Medical Malpractice Attorneys in the Richmond Area by ‘Expertise.com’
• AVVO Rated 10.0 out of 10.0
• Top Attorneys in America 2023: Recognized for Excellence
• Top 1% of America's Most Honored Lawyers 2022: Recognized by American Registry

 PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC PARTICIPATION:

Nathan has numerous professional and civic affiliations. To see a full list of his affiliations, click here.

• Member, Virginia State Bar’s Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee (2023-present)
• Member, Virginia State Bar’s Standing Committee on Legal Ethics (two 3-year terms, July 2015-July 2021)
• Member, Boyd-Graves Conference (2014-present)
• Member, D.C. Trial Lawyers Association (2014-present)
• Member, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (2004-present): 
  • Member, Board of Governors (2005-2018, 2021-2022)
  • Member, Amicus Curiae Committee
  • Member, Publications Committee
• Virginia State Bar Litigation Section, Board of Governors Member (2008-2019); 
  • President (2018-2019); 
  • Vice President (2017-2018);
  • Treasurer (2015-2017);
  • Chair, Midyear Legal Seminar, Madrid, Spain (2013-2014)
• Member, American Association for Justice (2005-present)
  • Member, Executive Committee-Small Firm/Solo Practitioner Section
• Pro Bono Partner, Legal Aid Justice Center, Charlottesville, Va (2005-present)
• Member, George Mason University School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors (2014-present)
• Member, Fredericksburg Area Bar Association (2009-2013, 2021-present)
• Member, National Alliance on Mental Illness Lawyer Referral Service
• Member, Friends of Mason Soccer Advisory Board (Spring 2010-present)
• Full Fellowship to Institut Louis Jeantet d'Histoire de la Medecine, Centre Medical Universitaire 12thCourse in Annecy, France (1997)

SELECTED APPELLATE EXPERIENCE

Samantha Nicholson v. Commonwealth of Virginia, Record No. 200356, June 17, 2021. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amici curiae).

 Samantha Nicholson v. Commonwealth of Virginia, Record No. 0371- 18-2, Feb. 19, 2019. (Court of Appeals of Virginia, on brief amici curiae).

 Fiorucci v. Chinn, 764 S.E.2d 85, 2014 Va. LEXIS 144, Oct. 31, 2014. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amicus curiae).

 Barnett v. The Byrd Theatre Foundation, 287 Va. 291, 754 S.E.2d 299, Feb. 27, 2014. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amicus curiae).

 Allied Concrete Co., et al. v. Lester, 285 Va. 295, 736 S.E.2d 699, Jan. 10, 2013. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief Appellant/Appellee).

 Wakole v. Barber, 283 Va. 488, 722 S.E.2d 238, March 2, 2012. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief, amicus curiae).

 Knicely v. Hyde, 2011 Va. LEXIS 137, June 2, 2011. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief for Appellant).

 Spear v. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, settled while pending in the Supreme Court of Virginia, May 2010. (on brief, amicus curiae).

 Clark v. De Veciana., 276 Va. 555; 2008 Va. LEXIS 118, Oct. 31, 2008. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amicus curiae).

 Jackson v. Hartig, et al., 645 S.E.2d 303, 2007 Va. LEXIS 96, June 8, 2007. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief for Appellant) (petition for rehearing denied).

 Isbell v. Commercial Investment Assoc., Inc., 644 S.E.2d 72, 2007 Va. LEXIS 52, April 4, 2007. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amicus curiae).

 Castle v. Lester, 272 Va. 591, 636 S.E.2d 342, Nov. 3, 2006. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief amicus curiae).

 Kollman v. Jordan, 269 Va. 569, 612 S.E.2d 203, April 22, 2005. (Supreme Court of Virginia, on brief for Appellee)

TEACHING, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, PUBLICATIONS, AND RESEARCH 

• Veldhuis, N.J, McConnell, M, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association’s Annual “Ethics Phone Seminar” October 30, 2019.
• Veldhuis, N.J., Mental Health and the Practice of Law: Practical Considerations, Journal of Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Vol. 27, No. 3 (2019). 
• Veldhuis, NJ, Martingayle K, Presented as Part of “Avoiding the Pitfalls in Tort Litigation Seminar” at the Delta Hotel Richmond Downtown, “Ethics: Two Clients in the Same Wreck”, May 15, 2019. 
• Veldhuis, NJ, McCauley J, et al., Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Annual Meeting Presentation and Continuing Legal Education, “Legal Ethics Update” March 2019. 
• Veldhuis, NJ, Why Mental Health Matters in Your Practice: A Primer With     
• Hypotheticals, Journal of Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Spring 2019. 
• Veldhuis NJ, moderator with panel: Hon. Brodie, Jan, Spohn T, Robinson. Michael, Hon. Stillman J. Bradley: “Achieving Civility in Discovery.” Continuing Legal Education with Ethics, Virginia State Bar Annual Meeting, June 2019. 
• Veldhuis, N.J. and Hon Thomas Horne, “Critical Changes to Va. S. Ct. Rules 1:1 and 1:11 that Every Litigator Needs to Know: How Final is the Finality of Judgments, Orders and Decrees in Your Case Views from the Bench and Bar,” Virginia State Bar’s Litigation News, January 2019 
• Veldhuis, N.J., Cover Photograph of, and President’s Report,The Litigation Edition pf The Virginia Lawyer Magazine: The Virginia Lawyer, Winter 2019 
• Veldhuis, NJ, Book Review: “The Art and Science of Mastering the Jury Trial.”  Virginia Lawyer, Vol. 64, December 2015. 
• Veldhuis, NJ, Reed, RT, “Virginia’s New Permissible Venue Statute: What is a ‘Practical Nexus’?”, Virginia State Bar’s Litigation News, Summer 2013. 
• Developed and co-taught Continuing Legal Education Program: Medical Malpractice: Practical Considerations from the Medical and Legal Communities, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar's Young Lawyer's Conference's Health and the Law Commission (University of Virginia School of Law, April, 2012, May 2013; Troutman Sanders, Richmond, October 2014) 
• Developed and co-taught Continuing Legal Education Program: Recent Developments in Mental Health Law, in conjunction with the Virginia State Bar's Young Lawyer's Conference's Mental Health Law Committee (Virginia State Bar, Richmond, Virginia, October 2010; George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia, May 2011, Virginia State Bar, May 2013; Troutman Sanders, Richmond, October 2014) 
• Veldhuis, NJ. "Promising New Technology in Documenting Traumatic Brain Injury: Neuro-Quantum Studies Produce Objective Findings of TBI." Headway, The Journal of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, Fall 2011, Issue 11-3. 
• Veldhuis, NJ. To See To Say: The Essentials of Voir Dire. Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Summer, 2010. Republished in the Virginia State Bar's Litigation News, Fall, 2010. 
• Veldhuis, NJ, Creager R. Annual Tort Law Update. Annual VTLA Convention, March 2010. 
• Assisting with the University of Virginia's Institute on Aging in studying and formulating recommendations related to the voting rights of persons of advanced age and with potential concomitant mental health impairments. 
• Drafting proposed Virginia Code Ann. § 37.2-806.1 "Admissions of Non-Protesting Persons Lacking Decisional Capacity to Mental Health Facilities" (for General Assembly Session 2009) 
• Co-Author/Editor of The Virginia State Bar Young Lawyer's Conference Mental Health Law Volunteer Resource Handbook, October 2007 (2008, 2009 updated revisions). 
• Editor/Compiler of two volume set of "Course Materials" text book—required reading for second- and third-year law students enrolled in the Mental Health Law Clinic at the University of Virginia School of Law. 
• Primary Investigator of research study--EMERGENCY MENTAL HEALTH PROTOCOL: Process for evaluating the integration of mental health resources and the criminal justice system in the Charlottesville area. University of Virginia Institutional Review Board Approval of Protocol 12931 on March 13, 2007. Data gathering and evaluation related to treatment of patients who present with apparent mental health impairments in the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center's Emergency Room to evaluate effectiveness and efficiency—concluded, November 12, 2007. Students from the University of Virginia's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering assisted in data gathering and analysis under Primary Investigator's supervision. 
• Veldhuis JD, Veldhuis NJ, Keenan DM, Iranmanesh A. Age Diminishes the Testicular Steroidogenic Response to Repeated Intravenous Pulses of Recombinant Human LH During Acute GnRH-Receptor Blockade in Healthy Men. Am J Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 288: E775-E781, 2005. 
• Livingston RL, Veldhuis NJ. Qualifying Out-Of-State Experts on the Standard of Care in Medical Malpractice Cases: Virginia's Sartorial Supreme Court and the Expert's White Coat. Virginia Trial Lawyers Association Journal, Fall, 2004. Republished in the Virginia State Bar's Litigation News, Vol. XII, No. 2, Spring 2005. 
• Veldhuis NJ, Demographic Factors Affect Volunteer Research Subjects' Recall of Consent Form Content. Thesis Paper. University of Virginia, Center for Biomedical Ethics. August 2001. Investigating shortcomings in the informed consent process in experimental research studies on human subjects. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board (formerly, Human Investigations Committee), The National Institutes of Health, and the University of Virginia's General Clinical Research Center. Additionally, this study attracted the attention of the University Hospital's Cancer Center, Nephrology, Infectious Diseases, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Departments, as well as Obstetrics and Gynecology, all of which agreed to, and did, participate in the study. 
• Fox CR, Veldhuis NJ, Mulligan T, Iranmanesh A, and Veldhuis JD. A novel paradigm of tandem GnRH antagonist administration and pulsatile iv infusion of recombinant human (rh) LH unveils prompt in vivo LH-testosterone secretory coupling in healthy humans. In: 83rd Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, Denver, CO, 2001. 

NOTABLE CASE WORK

• In Re: Cesar Chumil—This pro bonocase took over a decade of Mr. Veldhuis’s 17 years of practice. The case involved a mentally ill Guatemalan man who was held in solitary conferment at Western State Hospital, Staunton, Virginia for almost 20 years. Mr. Veldhuis as co-counsel with Alex Gulotta, Esq, then Director of the Legal Aid Justice Center, in Charlottesville, Va, fought on behalf of Mr. Chumil and his family against the Director of the Hospital, the then Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, and its Commissioner--from the initial administrative proceedings dealing directly with the Hospital to appeals to the Local Human Rights Committee, the State Human Rights Committee and to the Commissioner himself requiring innumerable hearings, trials, and through multiple appeals and remands until finally Mr. Chumil was ordered released from Western State Hospital to transition to the general population at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute where he spent the last two weeks of his life with his dying mother, as he, himself, died of undiagnosed colon cancer. His mother died shortly thereafter.

 The case attracted significant international media attention and was instrumental in formulating changes to the mental health system in Virginia. Mr. Chumil had never been accused, nor convicted, of any crime in his life. One short representative story discussing the case can be found here in the Richmond Times Dispatch: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Frichmond.com%2Farticle_906e0d40-3323-53de-8eaa-556abdbc02d7.html%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1X9PhjXJhq9uh8-RG3XDUuM5TuJXKhycixN3dkyQTUyNbBNEDJkmsPkbY&h=AT0Kn1kJyZD-pTIrQqkcneOfHi1vAqm1DGZdQz_iiOWgJpyMowNgzT2gFRCM3NG0VJk0dRuuWtjUBmcyTQXM7kp7GVUR2UoqS-bFcdS6m_cyoysIc4x8LXFGRhGAMnRhTg

• Education
  • Juris Doctor, 2004: George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Va
  • Visiting student, 2003-2004: University of Virginia School of Law, Charlottesville, Va.
  • Master of Arts Degree in Biomedical Ethics, 2001: University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts Sciences, Charlottesville, Va.
  • Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy, 1998 - magna cum laude: Liberty University, Lynchburg, Va.
• Jurisdictions Admitted
  • Commonwealth of Virginia
  • District of Columbia 
• Court Admissions
  • All State Courts in Virginia
  • All U.S. District Courts in Virginia: Eastern District of Virginia and Western District of Virginia
  • Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Superior Courts District of Columbia